Posts Tagged ‘American’
Antique Cafe in Flatiron
Yesterday, I used my first Groupon ever ever (of course it was on food). They had a deal to get $20 worth of food for $10 at Antique Cafe and I thought it’d be a good excuse to check out a new place for brunch with a fellow foodie (Archana of LettuceVeg.com).
Antique Cafe
Antique Cafe
Burgers at Corner Bistro
By Burger Guy
Corner Bistro
I haven’t been in NY long enough to visit my favorite food places since July. Yesterday, I was really craving some Joe’s Pizza, so I went downtown and had a burger at Corner Bistro instead [Editor's Note: If he read Shy's review, he would have known this already].
This place is well hyped among burger afficionados. Hype being the key word there. For six bucks and change you get a nice plump patty on a soft bun. The meat’s cooked pretty much perfectly and its really tasty. This is a decent burger. I don’t get the hype though…people wait outside for hours to get into this place. It makes no sense. Save yourself the trouble, it’s not all that. Not saying it’s bad, but I wouldn’t travel far to get it. Calm down guys.
Freemans alley restaurant, Lower East Side
Entrance to Freemans at the end of the alley Photo: Freemans
I was introduced to Freemans when I first moved to the city years ago, and it’s everything I love about NYC — the novelty of stumbling upon a hidden restaurant at the end of the alley that has the rustic interior of a comfortable colonial home, but smack in the middle of the Lower East Side. I’ve been there for dinner a few times (love their roasted chicken and five-cheese macaroni), but this was my first time there for brunch. For some reason, this visit was a little underwhelming, and I think maybe it was because the eggs were on the bland side and we over did the cheese — note to self, don’t order artichoke dip and the five cheese macaroni in one sitting. While they’re both great on their own, together it’s a bit much.
Artichoke dip, $10
Fig & Olive in Meatpacking
The Meatpacking District may be best known for its night life, but that culture totally spills into their restaurants. There are doormen, lines, people dressed to the nines and menu prices that lets you know you’re paying probably as much to eat as you are to be seen eating there. Needless to say, God forbid you lose your reservation because now you’re all dressed up and stuck with a minimum two-hour wait at all the restaurants in the vicinity. That’s kind of what happened to us — only our saving grace was Fig & Olive.
After losing our 8pm reservation at Ajna Bar (formerly Buddha Bar…I had no idea they had changed their name either), we were stuck with waiting til midnight for the next slot. Across the street at STK, same story. After wandering a bit, we found Fig & Olive. The maître d’ was so nice and accommodating even though the five of us had just shown up without a reservation on a Saturday night. He said we could wait 15 minutes for an “unorthodox” table inside or a table outside. We opted to sit outside since it was a nice night. While we were waiting, the manager offered us drinks on the house. The service for the rest of the night fit the same standard — it was totally refreshing.
Crostinis Part One
Burgers and baked mac n cheese at Brooklyn Bowl
Say what you will about hipsters, but their digs usually have some pretty good grub. Take Brooklyn Bowl, for example. Inside, you’ll find ironic t-shirts and fedoras galore (and of course, a huge concert space right next to the bowling alleys — because there must be a space for the band). If you’re waiting for a lane, order a cheeseburger to keep you company. You won’t regret.
Cheeseburger
I practically inhaled it. Their baked mac ‘n cheese was pretty legit too…
Burger Guy and Shy go to Five Guys
So Burger Guy swears Five Guys is like the best burger place ever in life (after DuMont of course), and has been bugging me to go with him so I can experience this so-called awesomeness firsthand. After he sent me enough picture messages of the burgers at Five Guys, I figured the only way to make him stop would be to finally accompany him to the West Village joint.
I decided to order the regular cheeseburger with grilled onions and grilled mushrooms. Burger Guy said I should order the double, but I thought that’d be too much meat. We also got some Cajun fries. At first bite, I thought…it was pretty good. But not worth the fuss over. It was sloppy and the bread was too soft. I mean, look at it:
